Feeding mechanism for carding-engi nes



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' W. 0.. BRAMWELL;

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR OARDING ENGINES. No. 246,065. Patented Aug. 23; 1881.

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W. 0 BRAMWELL. FEEDING MEGHANISM'POR GARDING ENGINES. No. 246,065; Patented Aug. 23,1881,

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W. C. BRAM'WE'LL. FEEDING MECHANISM POR GARDING ENGINES. N 0. 246,065.

Patented Aug. 2 3, 1881-.

WITNESEESY I IBM/ENTER 3 71, w flay.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. BRAMWELL, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CARDlNG-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 246,065, dated August 23, 1881.

Application filed February 14, 1881.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CALVERT BRAM'WELL, of Hyde Park, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have i11- vented new and useful Improvements in FeedingMechanisms for Oarding-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the feeding-machine for which Letters Patent numbered 216,373 were gran ted to me June 10, 1879, to which Letters Patent I now refer in order to more clearly explain the present improvement. Therein is shown a case or receptacle for containing fibrous substancessuch as wool, &c.and an elevating toothed apron 1n the rear of the case. The teeth of the apron raise the wool until brought under the action of an oscillating comb, also provided with teeth. My improvements relate particularly to means for regulating the position of this comb.

In Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings making a part of said patent the comb and toothed apron are clearly shown, audit will be noticed that the comb-shaft is carried in bearings at each end, which are secured to the frame-work of the machine, so that the teeth of the comb always remain at one fixed distance from the teeth of the apron. Provision is made for altermg this distance; but when it has been altered the bearings of the shaft are secured to the frame-work, and there remain.

Experience has demonstrated that while the distance of the comb from the apron might be fixed to answer well for the wool when first put into the case in a tangled and unprepared condition, such distance would not be so suitable after the wool had become more opened out and prepared. I have sought to overcome this difficulty by arranging the comb-shaft so that it shall automatically move toward the teeth of the apron when fresh wool is thrown into the case, and then gradually move farther away as the wool becomes more prepared, or the quantity in the case becomes less. It will be observed that the wool itself is the governing element controlling the distance between the comb and apron, and consequently the increased or diminished action of the comb on the fibrous materials is in proportion to the need of suchaction on them.

with the nut cl.

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Although I have referred to a comb as being attached to the shaft, it must be understood that I do not restrict myself to the application of myimprovement to acomb alone,

for a cylinder might be fixed to the shaft, or a fan, or an apron, and other devices; nor do I restrict myself to the specific form or arrangement of the levers, fingers, &c., herein shown and described, as other devices maybe employed by those skilled in the art that might substantially carry out my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts, Fig. 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the journal, &c., of the comb-shaft. Fig. 3 is a plan. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section.

A represents the case or receptacle, and B the shaft of the oscillating comb B. The comb-shaft B has its hearings in the collars a a. Each collar may form a part of a self-ad justing bearing, if desired, in which case it is swiveled in the ring I) by means of the pivot b and the pointed end 0 of the boltc, provided (See Fig. 2.) IVhether the bearing be an adjustable one or not, the boss C forms a part of it, and contains a screwthread fitting upon the adjusting-screw D. A pointer, e, is fixed upon the face of the boss 0, and serves to indicate the position of the shaft by means of the graduated scale 0. Thus the shaft 13 may be made parallel with the fingerbar and roll, or either end moved a given amount ahead of the other, as desired. It is on account of such possible movement that an adjustable hearing may be desirable. The screw D is journaled at each end in the arms E of the upright lever E, and is squared at one end, so as to admit of being turned by a wrench. The lever E is pivoted at f to the horizontal lever F, which is pivoted at f to the frame A, and is provided at its other end with one or more holes, f, in any one of which a connecting-rod, G, is swiveled, as at g. The upper end of the rod G is loosely connected at g with the hell-crank lever h, at its lower arm, and the connecting-rod H is similarly connected to the upper arm at h, and has its opposite end connected at h to the upright lever E. Each bell-crank his fixed to one end of 100 the bar J, which extends horizontally through the case. The levers, &c., above described, on each side the case A, are exactly similar. lhus the shaft B is caused to movethe same amount at either end, and in the same direction, and all its parts simultaneously.

The bar J has fixed to it, inside the case, a series of fingers, J ,projectin g downward,and against these fingers the pressure of the wool, &c., is exerted when the case is filled. The normal position of these fingers is forward, or toward the rolls K K, which carry the apron, (represented by broken lines in Fig. 4,) and they are so maintained by the weight of the parts described, as will be readily seen. In Fig. 4 of the drawings the fingers J are represented by full lines as at their lowest point t'. 0., farthest from the apron-rolls K K. They are also represented in broken lines as at their highest point, and as at half-Way between their lowest and highest pointsi. 0., when empty and partly empty.

It will be observed that the comb-shaft B will thus be moved nearer to or farther from the rolls K K in proportion to the movement of the fingers, but in the opposite directionthat is to say, when the fingers are pressed back against the front of the case, or nearly so, (as, for instance, when the case is full,) the comb-shaft will be moved toward the apronrolls, and as fast as the wool is used, and the pressure upon the fingers therebyrelieved,the shaft B willbe withdrawn in the same proportion from the apron-rolls,and the action of the comb or other device rendered less and less as the necessity for such action on the material diminishes.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- The combination, with the bar J, provided with fingers J, and the rotary or oscillating shaft B, having movable bearings, of a system of levers and connections,substantially as described, intermediate of said bar J and shaft B, whereby the position of the latter will be changed by the movement of said fingers, for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM CALVERT BRAMWELL.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. WILLIAMS, GEORGE V. MALLON. 

